Lots of rats and few birds in the Tararua Ranges

Surveys revealing high numbers of rats and few
birds in the Tararua Forest Park have highlighted the need
for pest control.

Rodent and bird surveys were undertaken
in the park over summer by Department of Conservation and
Greater Wellington Regional Council staff and volunteers, to
establish baseline data for the Project Kaka – Tararua
nature recovery programme, which begins in spring this year.
The programme aims to restore biodiversity values, including
birds, insects and plants, through simultaneously
controlling rats, stoats and possums on a three year cycle
over 22,000 ha of the Tararua Forest Park.

Dr James
Griffiths, a monitoring ecologist with DOC, said the survey
results were of concern to the department.

“They
suggest that previous pest management in the Tararua Forest
Park has not been of sufficient intensity to protect
vulnerable bird species such as kaka, kakariki and kereru,
which are now present only in very low numbers.”

“Although it is difficult to determine the relative
impact of rats on Tararua native birds from that of stoats
and possums, high rat numbers are likely to be impacting on
vulnerable bird species. Ship rats, stoats and possums are
the main predators of New Zealand forest birds, and are all
likely to have played a role in the demise of the Tararua
birds.”

The good news is that, although rats were
recorded in 48 percent of 400 tracking tunnels in the
Tararua Forest Park, they were almost undetectable in 150
tunnels in the Hutt water collection area where aerial
application of 1080 baits took place in August last year.

“We expect to see an increase in bird numbers in the
Hutt water collection area next year as lower rat numbers
mean that fewer chicks and eggs will have been eaten by
these pests this year,” said Philippa Crisp, Greater
Wellington Regional Council’s Parks team leader, strategy
and environment.

DOC is hoping for similar results when
it implements Project Kaka.

“Pest control every three
years in the Project Kaka area between Otaki Forks and Mount
Holdsworth should restore a thriving forest community to
some of the most popular tramping tracks in Tararua Forest
Park,” Dr Griffith said.

“We hope that people
visiting the project area will one day be able to see flocks
of kaka and kakariki, and mistletoes and rata flowering on
the
hillsides.”

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